If Manchester United fans weren’t enthralled by the 4-1 defeat at Newcastle United, Rory McIlroy’s Masters success was certainly more entertaining.
Any Manchester United supporter with an interest in golf went through a strange Sunday.
United were beaten 4-1 at Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon, turning in a disappointing display at St. James’ Park.
United fan Rory McIlroy may well have watched some of that defeat from Augusta as he chased Masters glory.
As with any McIlroy pursuit, there were some enormous highs and baffling lows along the way, including missing a putt on the 18th hole to win the tournament and finally end his major drought.
McIlroy finally won it, though, beating Justin Rose in a playoff to complete a career Grand Slam and win a first major tournament in more than a decade.
Rory McIlroy past comments on Manchester United investment
McIlroy hails from Northern Ireland but has been a lifelong United fan.
The 35-year-old has never been shy about that fact, and even referenced supporting United when winning the 2014 Open Championship in Liverpool, prompting boos from the crowd.
McIlroy will no doubt receive congratulatory messages from United fans all over the world, having truly made himself a legend in golf.
As United struggle, both on and off the pitch, we took a look back at McIlroy’s past comments about investing in United.
Speaking in 2023, McIlroy admitted that he would love to invest in United – even it was just ‘0.00001 per cent’.
When Sir Jim Ratcliffe came on board, McIlroy wanted to take a small slice of United and would explore such a deal if it was possible in the future.
McIlroy also admitted that he was excited about the Ratcliffe era – which hasn’t exactly gone to plan just yet.
“I would love to be able to own a tiny percentage of the club I grew up cheering on as a boy,” said McIlroy.
“I would have loved to have taken 0.00001 per cent of Manchester United when Jim Ratcliffe took 25 per cent. And if another opportunity comes my way I will look at it. But it is not something that has come across our table as of yet.
“Sir Jim has got a great track record and everybody that does support United should be excited by the possibilities if they give him full sporting authority and decisions for the club. As a fan I am excited,” he added.
Celebrity involvement in football is growing off the back of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham.
Tom Brady and J.J. Watt have followed suit, so maybe there could be room for McIlroy to get involved at United.
It may be unlikely, but so were half of the things we saw at Augusta on Sunday night; you can just never say never.
How much Rory McIlroy won at the Masters
McIlroy certainly became a much richer man after Sunday’s success.
As noted on the PGA Tour website, McIlroy clinched a cool $4.2million (£3.2million) with his Masters victory.
CBS Sports note that McIlroy also won $4.5million (£3.9million) by securing The Players Championship earlier this year.
McIlroy also won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, taking him $3.6million (£3.1million) as noted on the PGA Tour website.
More than £10million in prize money from his three tournament victories in 2025 is pretty incredible stuff, and McIlroy would no doubt love to buy a small stake in United with some of that cash – once he’s done celebrating Sunday’s achievement.